Riverhead wind turbine could generate revenue, study says

A 270-foot high wind turbine at the Riverhead Town Sewer District property on Riverside Avenue would generate about $250,000 a year in revenue, and would pay for itself in about 10 years, according to a study of the project conducted for the town.The $40,000 study was done by DHL Neutral Services, an European company with a Long Island branch in St. James.The wind turbine of that size would result in an energy savings of about 41 percent under current conditions, and 23 percent when the sewer plant’s proposed $17 million upgrade is completed, since the plant would need more energy after that, according to sewer district superintendent Michael Reichel, and Peter Rusy of DHL Neutral Systems.Councilman John Dunleavy said he thinks the project is a step in the right direction.“We should start thinking about going green in this town,” he said.The Town Board commissioned the study last November and got the results last month.The proposed location of the turbine would be toward the northern part of the sewer district property, near the woods near the scavenger waste plant, according to Mr. Rusi.The proposed tower would be larger and would generate more energy than the one just built on Half Hollow Farms in Laurel, and that one is currently the largest turbine on Long Island.The study estimated noise levels from the facility at 50 decibels, which would not be in violation of the town’s noise laws, and it listed the generating capacity at 750 kilowatts. The next step in the process is to study wind currents at the sewer district property, which is expected to take between six and nine months, officials said.The estimate construction cost of the tower is $1.6 million, according to the study, but the town would have to seek competitive bids for that job.Mr. Rusi said his company does not build wind turbines.The town sewer plant was upgraded to a state of the art level of treatment about 10 years ago, but now new federal and state regulations are requiring an even more extensive upgrade that officials estimate will cost about $17 million.[email protected]